1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for measuring the elasticity of the biological tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case of women, after the delivery of a child or in accordance with aging, since the muscle suspending the urethra goes slacked and hence its elasticity deteriorates, there is a tendency that incontinence occurs even for slight shock or impact. To cope with this physical problem, an operation for restoring the elasticity of the muscle suspending the urethra is performed in such way that suspension holes are provided in, for example, the pelvis and the muscles around the urethra are suspended with the usage of the suspension holes. To perform an appropriate operation, it is necessary to evaluate an elasticity of the muscles that surround the urethra.
Since the urethra is located near the vagina, the evaluation of elasticity of the muscles surrounding the urethra can be conducted by measuring the elasticity of the biological tissue of an inner surface of a canal part of the vagina. However, since one of the functions of the muscles surrounding the urethra is to enlarge and contract the urethra with an appropriate elasticity, even if the conventional elasticity coefficient or factor for the biological tissue which is represented by the simple ratio of stress and distortion is used, it is impossible to sufficiently evaluate its elasticity characteristics such as viscoelasticity. Since the diameter of the vagina is in the order of 15 mm, it is possible to insert a probe in the canal part thereof. However, in the prior art, there has been no appropriate probe and measuring method for measuring the above elasticity of the muscles that surround the canal part of the vagina and suspend the urethra. Accordingly, the determination of the degree of elasticity deterioration of the muscle around the urethra and the degree of suspending the muscles upwardly using the suspension holes for restoring the elasticity is still made through a diagnosis relied on experiences such as the palpation of the operator's fingers.